Mortise and tenon joint



Dec. 30, 1958 H. J. M. LAMBERT ET AL MORTISE AND TENON JOINT OriginalFiled Dec. 8, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Hemfi 334; as on. \qmbe k eeo atsFRU\ \NYENTML Dec. 30, 1958 H. J. M. LAMBERT ET AL 6 MORTISE AND TENONJOINT Original Filed Dec. 8, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6mm swam PatentedDec. 30, 1%?58 MORTISE AND TENON JOINT Henri Jacques Marc Lambert,Sevres, and Georges Paul Mongin, aint-Gratien, France Continuation ofapplication Serial No. 64,112, December 8, 1948. This applicationFebruary 9, 1954, Serial No. 409,192

Claims priority, application France December 15, 1947 2 (Ilaims. or.20-92) The present invention relates to a mortise and tenon joint, andmore particularly to a joint of this character by means of which a tenonmember is locked into assembled relationship with a mortised member bymeans of a slightly deformable drift pin which cooperates withdeformable walls at the ends of the tenons.

This application is a continuation of our copending application SerialNo. 64,112, filed December 8, 1948 for Methods for Assembling Two orMore Elements, now abandoned.

The inconveniences of this traditional method lie mainly in the factthat a multiplicity of pins, pegs or rivets increases the cost ofproduction and at many points produces irregularities in the surface ofthe elements which are fitted together. In the case where these elementshave to be painted or otherwise finished, it is neceessary to fill inthe irregularities at the points of pinning, pegging or rivetingfollowed by a base coating, which is a relatively expensive procedure.elements are subjected cause an inevitable working loose of the fillingswhich often crack and become conspicuous.

The present invention avoids these difficulties by the provision of aplurality of aligned tenons on the tenon member, these tenons having aseries of aligned holes formed therein near the ends of the tenons. Theholes are arranged to have deformable or resilient walls. The mortisedmember has a series of mortises formed therein which are complementaryto and which receive the tenons.

The mortises are interconnected by-an elongated rectilinear passage. Inone embodiment of the invention, a slightly deformable drift pin ispassed through the passage in the mortised member and also passesthrough the aligned holes in the tenons. Without the drift pin in place,and with the mortised member and tenon member in assembled relationship,the distance from the walls of the elongated passage of the mortisedmember nearest to the tenon member to the inner surfaces of the endwalls of the holes in the tenons is slightly less than the transversedimension of the drift pin in its direction of greatest deformability.As a result, the end walls of the tenons and the drift pin are bothslightly deformed after insertion of the drift pin, thus locking themortised member and the tenon member in assembled relationship by thecombined forces of both deformations.

In another embodiment of the invention, the walls of the aligned holesin the tenons are laterally deformed.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following specification together with the accompanyingdrawing forming a part hereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a tenon memher, a mortised memberand a drift pin positioned ready for assembly.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the members of Fig. 1 afterassembly.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along Moreover, thestrain to which these the line A--A of Fig. 4, the members beingassembled along two spaced parallel lines.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View, the upper portion being takenalong the line BB of Fig. 3 and the lower portion along the line C-C ofFig. 3.

Figure 5 is an end view showing an arrangement providing reduceddeformation to permit disassembly of the two members.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line D--D ofFig. 5.

Figure 7 is an end view of an arrangement in which appreciabledeformation is provided for the purpose of permanently assembling thetwo members, the drift pin having not yet been forced into lockingposition.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line E--E ofFigure 7.

Figures 9 and 10 are similar to Figs. 7 and 8, respectively, with thedrift pin in locking position.

Figure 11 is a transverse sectional view of a form of the invention inwhich the holes in the ends of the tenons are adapted to be enlargedlaterally showing the holes prior to insertion of the drift pin.

Figure 12 shows the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 11 withthe drift pin in locking position.

Figure 13 is a transverse sectional view similar to Fig. 12, except thatit is'taken intermediate two tenons.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary plan view showing the rounded end of arelatively flat drift pin suitable for use with Figs. 11 to 13.

Figure 15 is a transverse sectional View of a modified form of theinvention in which double-ended tenons are used for the assembly of twomortised members.

Figure 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15, except that it is takenintermediate two tenons.

Figure 17 is a plan end view of the double-ended tenon shown in Fig. 15.

Figure 18 is a transverse sectional view showing a form of tenon adaptedfor use with hollow members such as boxes.

Figure 19 is a plan view of the tenon shown in Fig. 18.

Figure 20 is an elevational view of a tenon provided with an enlargedcircular centering portion.

Figure 21 is a plan view of the tenon shown in Fig. 20.

Referring to Fig. l, a tenon member 1 is shown positioned to beassembled with a mortised member 2. The tenon member 1 is provided witha plurality of aligned spaced tenons 3. The mortised member 2 has aplurality of aligned spaced mortises 4 formed therein which arecomplementary to and which receive the tenons 3. As may be seen in Figs.3 and 4, the mortises are deeper than the length of the tenons. Thetenons 3 have aligned holes 5 formed therein near the ends thereof toprovide both laterally and longitudinally deformable end Walls, whichdeformation may be of a resilient nature, provided however, thatdeformation of a permanent nature is accompanied by sufiicient permanentlocking force to hold the members 1 and 2 locked in assembledrelationship as described below.

The mortised member 2 has an elongated passage 6 formed therein whichinterconnects the mortises 4. The elongated passage 6 is generally inalignment with the holes 5 in the ends of the tenons 3. The mortisedmemher 2 and tenon member 1 are assembled by moving the tenon member 1in the direction of the arrow 7 (Fig. 1) so that the tenons 3 areinserted in the mortises 4 and the surface 8 of tenon member 1 bearsagainst the surface 9 of mortised member 2.

The two members 1 and 2 are locked in assembled relationship by themovement in the direction of the arrow 10 (Fig. l) of a slightlydeformable drift pin 11 whereby the drift pin 11 is inserted in theterminal aper- 3, ture 12 of the elongated passage 6. The two members 1and 2, when assembled, will have the appearance shown in Fig. 2. thedrift pin 11 being completely inserted in elongated passage 6 so thatonly the terminal aperture 12 is visible. The cross-sectionalconfiguration of drift pin 11 provides a greater cross-sectional momentof inertia in a first direction than in a second direction normal to thefirst direction. Deformation of the drift pin 11 is illustratively shownas being in the second direction which is of lesser cross-sectionalmoment of inertia.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the tenon member 1 is of channel shapedcross section and the two members 1 and 2 are assembled along two spacedparallel lines 13 and 14 of mortises and tenons 3. In Fig. 3 the driftpin 11 is shown partially inserted in elongated passage 6 after havingpassed through the holes in tenons 3a, 3b and 3m, the drift pin 11 beingabout'to enter the hole 5 in tenon 311. The inner end portion of driftpin 11 terminates in a sloping face 15. The sloping face 15 will pressgradually against the inner end wall surface 16 of the hole 5 in tenon3:1 as the drift pin 11 is further progressively inserted in elongatedpassage 6.

Figs. 7 to 10 show the respective positions of pin 11 and aperture 5 ofa tenon 3 before and after pin 11 is inserted in said aperture 5.. Asshown in Figs. 7 and 8, pin 11 before being forced into locking positionis partially engaged by its end in the aperture 5. This end is providedwith two sloping faces 15 and 21. Sloping face 15 constitutes anextension of the lateral surface 18 of drift pin 11 which is farthestfrom tenon member 1, while sloping surface 21,. adjacent to sloping face15, constitutes an extension of the opposite lateral surface 19 of pin11. When sloping face 15'is only engaged in aperture 5, the position ofpin 11 is such that its lateral face 18 is shifted from the inner wallsurface 16 of the hole 5 through a distance 17. This shifting is due tothe fact that the distance from the walls 20 of the passage 6 nearest tothe tenon member 1, to the inner surface 16 of the end walls of thetenons 3 which are farthest from the tenon member 1, is slightly lessthan the transverse dimension of the drift pin 11 between its lateralsurfaces 18 and 19.

The result is that in pushing drift pin in the direction of arrow 22,the lateral surface 18 of pin 11 presses against the inner wall 16 ofaperture 5. This wall 16 is displaced through distance 17 andconsequently is resiliently deformed at 23 (Fig. 9), so that aperture 5,of a substantially rectangular shape as shown in Fig. 7, becomescorrespondingly arcuated at 23 (Fig. 9). Due to the counter-thrustexerted by wall 16 against pin 11 while inserting the latter intoaperture 5, drift pin 11 is also slightly deformed and sloping surface21 tends to bear against the surface 2i) of elongated passage 6 (Fig.3), but facilitates a further inserting movement of pin 11 by reason ofits declivity.

When fully inserted, pin 11 has its lateral surface 18 hearing againstthe inner wall surface 16 of a hole 5 of a tenon 3, as shown in Fig. 10.

Moreover, both the end walls of the tenons 3 and the drift pin areslightl deformed, whereby the combined forces accompanying both of theseslight deformations will hold members 1 and 2 locked in assembledrelatio-nship.

Where a lesser amount of locking action is desired, in order to permitdisassembly, the form of construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may beused. In Figs. 5 and 6, the amount of deformation is greatly reduced oris negligible, thereby permitting the drift pin to be withdrawn.

Figs. 11 to 14 show a modified form of the invention in which theelongated passage 6 is wider than the mortises. The drift pin 11 iswider than the holes 5 in the ends of the tenonsprior to theirdeformation by insertion of the drift pin 11. The mortise 4 is laterallyenlarged adjacent to the elongated passage 6 to provide spaces 25 atboth sides of the deformable lateral walls 24 of the holes in the endportions of the tenons 3. After insertion of the drift pin 11, the walls24 of the hole are laterally deformed from their condition as shown inFig. ll to a condition as shown in Fig. 12. Intermediate the mortises 4,the shape of the elongated passage 6 is as shown in Fig. 13, thecross-sectional configuration of drift pin 11 being modified to berelatively wide and fiat as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. In order tofacilitate insertion of the drift pin 11 and lateral deformation of thetenon walls 24-, the drift pin 11 is provided with a tapering roundedend as shown in Fig. 14.

Figs. 15, 16 and 17 show two mortised members locked in assembledrelationship by means of a double-ended tenon 3. The tenons 3 are firstlocked in member 1 by means of a relatively wide drift pin whichproduces no deformation of the end of the tenon since no stress isapplied thereto at this time. Thereafter, the mortised member 3 isassembled over the free ends of the doubleended tenons and a narrowerdrift pin is inserted through the upper ends of the tenons, producing adeformation of the end walls of the tenon as described above and shownin Fig. 15. The combined forces of deformation of the tenons and thedrift pin lock the members 1 and 2 in assembled relationship aspreviously described.

In the example of Figures 18 and 19, flaps 26 serve as a support fortenon 3 at the time when it is mounted on piece 27 in such a manner thatthe dimension C should remain precise. In this way the desired pressurewill be obtained due to the clearance 17 (Figure 8). In this example,tenon 3 is secured on element 27 before the securing of plates 28 andthis is performed by foldingand jamming the'ends 29 of the tenon behindpiece 27, preferably in a V shaped retaining groove 30.

The elongated passage 6 is shown in the drawings as rectilinear. It isto be understood, however, that the passage 6 may be generallyrectilinear. By generally rectilinear it is intended that passage 6 maybe slightly curved, provided that the radius of curvature issufficiently large and the drift pin 11 is sufficiently flexible topermit the drift pin 11 to be inserted into the passage 6 and to conformto the curvature of the elongated passage 6 as it is progressivelyinserted therein without requiring undue force to complete the assembly.

We claim:

1. A mortise and tenon joint for locking two pieces into assembledrelationship, comprising a tenon member integral with one of saidpieces, a plurality of aligned spaced tenons disposed on said tenonmember, said tenons having aligned holes formed therein, said holesbeing defined by deformable walls at and adjacent to the ends of saidtenons; a mortised member integral with the other of said pieces, aplurality of aligned spaced mortises formed in said mortised membercomplementary to and engaged by said tenons, said mortises being of adepth greater than the length of said tenons, said mortised memberfurther having an elongated generally rectilinear passage formed thereininterconnecting said mortises and terminating in an aperture at anexternal surface of said mortised member, and a resilientlytransversally deformable drift pin disposed in said passage and passingthrough said holes, causing thereby said pieces to be in joinedcondition along cooperating surfaces, an end wall of each tenon memberbeing deformable in the longitudinal direction of said tenons, thedistance from the walls of said elongated passage nearest to said tenonmember to the inner surfaces of said end walls of said tenons with saidpieces in assembled relationship without the drift pin in place beingslightly less than the transverse dimension of said drift pin in saidlongitudinal direction, whereby both the drift pin and the tenon endwalls are resiliently deformed, the direction of said deformations beingalong the longitudinal direction of said tenons and the combined forcesaccompanying both of said deformations acting to lock said pieces inassembled relationship.

2. A mortise and tenon joint according to claim 1 wherein thecross-sectional configuration of said drift pin provides a greatercross-sectional moment of inertia in a first direction than in a seconddirection normal to said first direction, said resilient deformation ofsaid drift pin being in said second direction of lesser cross-sectionalmoment of inertia.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS BattinJan. 21, 1947

